'Friends' Matthew Perry Signs Indicate "Ketamine Acute Side Effects"

LA Coroner's Office Releases Autopsy Report
"Received Ketamine Infusion Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Treatment"

The cause of death of actor Matthew Perry, famous for his role as Chandler in the American sitcom 'Friends,' has been confirmed as a side effect of the drug ketamine.

On the 15th (local time), the Los Angeles (LA) County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DME) in the United States announced that Perry's cause of death was concluded to be "the acute effects of ketamine."

The medical examiner's office explained, "Considering the high levels of ketamine found in Perry's postmortem blood samples, the primary fatal effects stemmed from cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression," adding, "Along with this, drowning, coronary artery disease, and side effects of buprenorphine (a drug used to treat opioid use disorder) also contributed to the cause of death."

Actor Matthew Perry, who passed away at his home on October 28th (local time) [Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety symptoms, with the last treatment estimated to have been about a week and a half before his death. The medical examiner's office added, "Since Perry may have lost consciousness and fallen into the swimming pool, drowning was considered a factor in his death."

Perry was found unconscious in the heated swimming pool at his home in LA around 4 p.m. on October 28. Emergency responders who arrived at the scene after a 911 call declared him dead. The coroners transported his body to the DME forensic center, conducted an autopsy the following day, and have been investigating and analyzing toxic substances in his body for over a month.

According to the autopsy report released that day, Perry had a history of drug use but was reported to have abstained from drugs for the past 19 months. On the day of his death, Perry played pickleball early in the day, and his live-in assistant found him lying face down in the pool after returning from an errand.

Perry gained worldwide popularity for playing Chandler Bing, one of the six main characters in the popular American NBC sitcom 'Friends,' which aired from 1994 to 2004. 'Friends' is a show about the love and friendship among six friends living in New York.

Fans were deeply shocked by the news of Perry's sudden death at the age of 54, sparking a global wave of mourning. The five co-stars from 'Friends'?Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Courteney Cox (Monica), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), David Schwimmer (Ross), and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe)?issued a joint statement two days after Perry's death, saying, "We are more than colleagues; we are a family," mourning his passing. Additionally, last month, Perry's family established the Matthew Perry Foundation, a support organization for individuals with addiction disorders named after him, appealing to fans for donations and beginning related activities.

Meanwhile, following Perry's death, attention has also focused on his history of drug and alcohol addiction revealed in his memoir published last November. In the memoir, he disclosed an incident in 2019 where he fell into a coma for two weeks due to a colon rupture caused by drug use and endured more than ten gastrointestinal surgeries. He also confessed to nearly dying in 2020 and being saved by cardiopulmonary resuscitation, revealing that he had been striving for decades to overcome addiction.